Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.

Information on this website is compiled by Punto24 (Platform for Independent Journalism) from open sources.

Journalists in State of Emergency – 4

On July 29, 21 of the 48 journalists who have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the July 15 coup attempt were taken to İstanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse to testify before prosecutors.

During their questioning at the prosecutor’s office, the journalists were asked whether they “accept that FETÖ (Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization) is a terrorist organization,” and if they are part of “the media arm of FETÖ.” The prosecutor also demanded explanations on Twitter posts shared by the journalists as well as their statements elsewhere, including those in their newspaper columns, tv shows and the books they authored.

Prosecutor asks court not to arrest Mumay

According to a news report by the Evrensel daily, journalist Bülent Mumay, who was formerly the coordinator in charge of Hürriyet’s digital publications, was asked specific questions about his tweets from the night of July 15 and whether he works for the media arm of the Gülen Movement. Mumay was referred to a court after his interrogation, with the prosecutor asking for his release under probation. The court on duty ruled to release Mumay unconditionally.

Three journalists for whom prosecutor demanded arrest released

The prosecutor’s office referred the remaining 20 journalists to court demanding their arrest. Seventeen of these journalists were arrested after their appearance in court and sent to prison on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” Two others were released on probation.

Nazlı Ilıcak put under arrest

Nazlı Ilıcak, born 1944, who has been in journalism since 1972, was also arrested after her court appearance. Ilıcak was also asked the question whether she “works for FETÖ’s media arm.” During her testimony, Ilıcak protested her innocence regarding the charges directed at her and reportedly stated that “I understood that FETÖ is an armed terrorist organization on the night of the coup attempt.”

The arrests of 17 journalists on July 29 that come as part of the post-coup attempt probe bring the total number of journalists under arrest in Turkey to 56. Twenty-three of those in prison face charges regarding the post-coup attempt investigation.

Ercan Gün turns himself in

In another development, Fox TV News Manager Ercan Gün, for whom a detention warrant had been issued by the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office as part of the coup probe, turned himself in, going to the İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse. Gün was referred to the Police Department’s Public Safety Branch by the prosecutor for a police interrogation.

Hilmi Yavuz released due to poor health

Some elderly journalists are among the detained, causing concern about their health status. Families of 72-year-old Şahin Alpay, formerly a columnist with the Zaman daily, and Hilmi Yavuz, a legendary poet who’s 80, expressed concern about the two men’s condition. Yavuz was released in the early evening on July 29 due to a sudden drop in his blood pressure levels during his police interrogation. His interrogation procedure could not be completed, and the accusations leveled against him remain in place, authorities have said.

Current legal status of journalists for whom detention warrants were formally announced

Abdullah Abdulkadiroğlu, Samanyolu TV

Abdullah Katırcıoğlu, In custody

Abdullah Kılıç, Meydan columnist, Under arrest

Adil Gülçek,

Ahmet Dönmez, Former Zaman reporter

Ahmet Memiş, Haberdar, In custody

Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Cihan Media Vice President, In custody

Ahmet Turan Alkan, Former Zaman columnist, In custody

Alaattin Güner, Former Cihan Media Director

Ali Akbulut, Formerly, owner of Zaman’s rights

Ali Akkuş, Former Zaman Publications Editor, Under arrest

Ali Bulaç , Former Zaman columnist, In custody

Ali Ünal, Former Zaman columnist

Arda Akın, Hürriyet reporter, Released on probation

Arzu Yıldız, Haberdar

Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak, Yarına Bakış, Under arrest

Aytekin Gezici, In custody

Bayram Kaya, Zaman, Yeni Hayat reporter, Under arrest

Behçet Akyar,

Bilal Şahin, Özgür Düşünce

Bülent Ceyhan, Özgür Düşünce reporter

Bülent Keneş, Former Today’s Zaman Editor-in-Chief

Bülent Korucu, Former Zaman columnist

Bülent Mumay, Former Hürriyet Digital Press Coordinator, Released by court

This list has been compiled by P24 editors from open news sources and will be updated regularly. Journalists who want to report developments about themselves or their colleagues can contact us at punto24info@gmail.com